Football In Film and Media

Score! - Football on Film.

Written by Mark Ramey

I chose this article because i am a very passionate supporter and follower of football and was intrested on the views of this author as i have always believed that football and sport in general should be more reconised and explored in AS and A2 subjects of media and film.

This article talks about how Football as a media is usually looked down apon in many media texts books and never studied in depth through AS and A2 media and film studies. It talks about how the sport has been 'Relagated to the metaphorical and literal back pages' and is often looked down apon due to its easily recreational status and aims to explain how sport and football in particular should not be looked down apon in studies of media and film and have just as much meaning as any other genre of media or film.

It talks about how sport on this continuum is either a leisurely hobby for the cultured or a means of entertainment in which the working classes can littereally or metaphorically 'Escape the ghetto' and talks about how even the study of soaps and other genres of tv such as sitcoms and advertising give a more intellectual insight as come from an aesthetic and creative souce while sport and football come from a physical sense.

Key Points

·                      "For Marxist theorists football can be read as a new religion (a new opium for the people) in an otherwise secular age. The corporate football industry is a perfect example of capitalism run amok. Football normalises the idea of economic competition and diverts the attention of the workers from their struggole with the bourgeoisie - who of course run the cluvs and administer the game. A football fan is living in a 'false state of consciousness' - unaware of her historical purpose to turn off the capitalist machine". I agree fully with this as we see the difference ois audiece classes, the physical side of this attracts the working class while the bourgeoisie run the clubs and federations that the working class love.

·                     Sterotypes - this article mentions about how footballs yob culture is an example of unreconstructed men fearfully turning their back on the new man. This also talks about representations of female sports stars are sexualised, thus emphasising the traditional, male approved stereotypes of what women should be. Examples of this would include the Andy Gray sexism issues that blew up when he said on live television that women do not belong in football as a 3rd official as they do not understand the offside rule when a woman had been used as a 3rd official in the match. This showed the issues of sexism that is present in football and shows that this is not a media that can just be dismissed as a leisurely hobby but includes its own issues and representations that can be read into. (Sexism in Football programme segmant including Andy Gray saga ·                    

·                     The end of his first half of the article he explains that his point is that football "a complex respository of numerous  ideological points of view. Theory can offer us fascinanting insights into the construction and popularity of cultural products and football is no less deserving of that insight. Footballs critical place in contemporary UK and global culture needs addressing." It also goes on to speak how "There are football TV shows, dedicated live match channels, radio stations,magazines, computer games, web based news sites and adverts. Football has a huge presence in our media industries".

Personal Opinions

I agree with all points made in this article, i believe that football in particular is just written off as a passive media text as the next week it is forgotten about but the bourgeoisie cannot see the more depth of this media type. It comes with its own audience type in both film and media, contains its own sterotypes, archetypes, issues, representations and more. This is why i believe that Sport should be read more into by media students as it contains just as much to read into as a soap or sitcom. A few issues that have been represented into the media are;

·                     Andy Gray sexism comments

·                     Fabrice Muamba Cardiac arrest

·                     Racism rows (Suarez, Evra, Euro 2012)

In film this is also passed and the genre of sport and football films in particular as a genre that cannot be read into and just a passive use of escapism, there is much more to that.

Green Street - This film explores issues in modern day football such as hooligans both in this country but also worldwide. This goes into depth on how football is behind the scenes with football hooligans but also how the hierarchy see football fans. Many higher class citizens will see sport as a pointless media and stereotype fans to be hooligans or voilence. But from a fans and personal opinion, this is just passion for a club. This film gives us intertextual references only football fans would understand and due to the films violence, the target audience would be shocked but more understanding of the passion that comes with football while if a member of the bourgeoisie watched this they would take on the stereotype that all football fans are violent.